While I absolutely love reading fiction as a primary source of entertainment, I recently have started reading Peter Zeihan’s books. He is a political scientist and demographer and has made and continues to make very bold predictions about the global future. I’m a bit obsessed with everything he has to say as he has been proven correct about some major world events including the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. He predicted it back in 2014!
I found him because I am very interested in demographics and in particular the Chinese demographics. I found myself getting tired of hearing about China as this 800 lb gorilla that we should be terrified of and I felt that the effect of the one-child policy there was having an overlooked impact. I found that and a whole lot more with Peter. He opened up a whole new way of looking at the globe. He highlighted past trends that have brought us to where we are currently and identifying the trends, heavily demographic, that are influencing where we are going. It is staightforward, intuitive, and very easy to understand.
Having an understanding of demographics can have a meaningful impact on our investment decisions. Based on how a country’s population pyramid looks tells you a lot about that country’s economy. Aging societies like Japan and Germany tell you that consumption is low in their respective areas and that they are facing an available worker crisis. The retiring Baby Boomer Generation here in the U.S. is going to have an upward pull on inflation as those workers leave the workforce and companies have to hire and train new workers. China’s population crisis is driving up costs and causing companies to leave and restore back to the U.S. and Mexico. There are so many impacts to the world that are related to population growth or decline that having a working understanding of demographics is critical.
I highly recommend you check Peter Zeihan out on YouTube and definitely read his books. You can find them in your local library. Most of his presentations end up on YouTube and I watch for new ones constantly. I really have learned a lot from him and I know that you will also.
As always, if you are looking for a gift for the young reader in your life, you can find some great children’s books on Amazon. Just go to these links The Desert Fairies of Oylara, The Rainforest Fairies of Oylara, and The Artic Fairies of Oylara and order them.
Additionally, I came across this very cool podcast on Spotify that everyone should check out called Gen X Dad and his Gen Z Teens. Entertaining!
Finally, check out some pretty cool music on YouTube if you have a few minutes: Introduction , Mosh, Smoke, Watch Out , and First Day Out. Enjoy!
Patient and Disciplined Saving 